In the field of business forms, the continuous mailer is used in increasing quantities to provide means for processing and communicating data and to take advantage of newer forms of processing equipment. The business forms assume the shape of envelopes connected together by lines of weakening in a continuous assembly and have marginal portions with pin holes on the sides of the assembly for accommodating drive means to advance the continuous assembly through the processing equipment.
The continuous mailer generally includes a front ply and a back ply which are connected together to form an envelope and which contains at least one insert ply that provides printed data or information relative to the communicated business or like matter. Some forms of mailers may also include a return envelope which is a separate item from the front ply and back ply construction. Other forms of mailers are constructed to provide a portion of the front and back ply construction for use as a return envelope. One or more inserts may be included in the mailer with such insert(s) being connected to the front or back plies in certain forms or being free of the front or back plies in other forms.
Representative documentation in the field of continuous mailers includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,632, issued to F. H. Neubauer on Nov. 11, 1975, which discloses a front ply, a back ply, and an insert ply secured along at least two edges thereof to one of the front and back plies in order to form an insert packet. The back ply is secured to the front ply along three edges thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,670, issued to D. Dicker on May 24, 1983, discloses a front ply, a back ply, and an intermediate ply secured to the back ply. A tab portion of the intermediate ply is secured to the front ply. The front ply is releasably secured to a body portion of the intermediate ply.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,865, issued to C. G. Bowen on Dec. 6, 1983, discloses a front ply secured to a back ply by lines of adhesive, and an insert ply free of attachment to the lines of adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,611, issued to A. C. Scalzo on May 6, 1986, discloses a front ply, a back ply, and an insert ply wherein one end is free of the mailer and the opposite end is secured to an edge region thereof.